Chief Yohanna Margif, a prominent member of the Labour Party (LP), has condemned the widely shared video of a group of young Nigerians flying Russia’s national flag amid the country’s current protests, claiming it is an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Margif called the development troubling, treasonous, and a sign of the demonstrators’ illiteracy. The leader of the LP praised President Bola Tinubu for his fast action in ordering the country’s security officials to apprehend and prosecute the offenders.
On Monday, the President issued an order to security services to take harsh measures against anyone caught flying the Russian flag in the nation while protesting. Following the National Security Council meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, informed State House media on the protests and stated the President had given them the go-ahead to march.
The leader of the LP praised President Bola Tinubu for his fast action in ordering the country’s security officials to apprehend and prosecute the offenders.
He said: “Firstly, I commend President Bola Tinubu for his bold step when he swiftly directed the nation’s security officials to apprehend the culprits and bring them to book.
“A protest situation whereby foreign flags are flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria by some aggrieved Nigerians, no matter their grievances, is disturbing, worrisome, treasonable, and unacceptable.
“This behaviour has the potential to worsen an already bad situation, which has culminated in the unfortunate loss of lives and properties; so we must acknowledge and support the president’s efforts.”
In addition to the treasonous acts of a few, the politician pointed out that others were taking advantage of the protests to indiscriminately steal and damage property, putting the entire country at risk.
Margif stated that state governors needed to be held properly accountable following President Tinubu’s recent nationwide broadcast, which revealed the distribution of N570 billion to the nation’s 36 state governments.
He declared that it was obvious that the state governors should be held accountable for the money’s administration in light of this development and in opposition to the recent decision on local government autonomy made by the Supreme Court.
“I urge Nigerians to redirect their focus from the national hunger protests to state-level protests.
“Let us commend the President for all his efforts and offer our support as he works towards achieving the New Hope Agenda.
“Together we can build a better Nigeria of our collective dreams,” he said.
